Police find £400,000 in a holdall during a traffic stop on the M6

A stash of £400,000 was found in a holdall when a van was stopped on the M6 – and detectives discovered another £100,000 when they searched the driver’s home.

The cash was seized by West Midlands Police when the force intercepted a vehicle near Rugby, Warwickshire last Tuesday. 

The driver was then arrested on suspicion of money laundering and police searched his home in Epping Forest, Essex, the National Crime Agency said.

There, detectives discovered another stash of banknotes thought to be in the region of £100,000. The cash was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

NCA deputy director Chris Farrimond said: ‘Money is the lifeblood of organised crime and we will do all we can to disrupt the flow of illicit wealth wherever we can.

‘These were substantial seizures, and I’ve no doubt that the money would have been re-invested in further criminality.

‘Working with West Midlands Police we have successfully disrupted the activity of an organised crime group specialising in cash-based money laundering.’

Sergeant Helen Ainsworth, from the Economic Crime Unit at West Midlands Police, added: ‘This is a significant amount of cash and a thorough investigation has commenced.

‘If we discover it has been obtained through criminality, we will be pursuing full forfeiture of the amount through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), which means that we will be able to use the cash for deserving community-led initiatives.’

The suspect has since been released pending further inquiries.